1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a guard for blood collection needles and, more particularly, to a holder for a double ended needle axially translatable within a guard to protectively enclose the needle after use.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A needle shield which must be removed anteriorly from the hub of a double ended needle before the needle can be used for a blood collection procedure is well known. Remounting such a shield requires a user to insert the point of the needle into the open end of the shield and draw the shield posteriorly over the needle until the needle is fully enclosed and the shield lodged in place. Such a removable needle shield contains several limitations, including: (1) after blood has been drawn, medical personnel may occasionally delay capping of the needle with the shield, which delay creates a possibility of accidental contact with blood upon the needle, dripping blood or accidental puncture; (2) in order to recover the used needle, it is necessary to replace the shield over the pointed end of the needle, which replacement increases the risk to medical personnel of accidentally puncturing themselves; and (3) if a needle has been accidentally bent during a blood collection procedure or if the shield is replaced over the needle at an incorrect angle, the needle point may inadvertently pierce the side of the shield and puncture the fingers or hand.
In order to avoid problems attendant needle shields which must be remounted posteriorly from a location anterior of the needle point, various devices have been developed. A sleeve can be translatably mounted upon the barrel of a hypodermic syringe along with a locking arrangement to lock the sleeve in place upon anterior translation to enclose the needle within the sleeve. In another device, a single ended needle can be enclosed by drawing the barrel of an attached syringe posteriorly to draw the needle into a shield; for double ended needles, the collection tube, penetrably engaged with the posterior needle, is drawn posteriorly to locate the anterior needle within the shield. Various other known other devices also exist but each of them suffers from various impediments, including functional efficiency, manipulative ease under medical emergencies, structural integrity or cost.